Ask the Spike

Longwear Eyeliner

I have historically been a bit shy of eye make up that is very waterproof or long-lasting. I once had a mascara from Paul & Joe (I know, what are they doing making make-up?) that was waterproof and would literally not fucking come off, it wasn’t very nice.

But recently I am a bit sick of putting my eyeliner on in the morning – a hasty and inaccurate task, as I’m sure you can envisage – only for it to have fallen off during the morning and need to be reapplied later. Or to have smudged horribly under my eyes, which when I was 25 I’m sure would have been sexy but is now just a bit… bag lady.

So I went into Superdrug and randomly bought a Max Factor Excess Intensity Longwear Eyeliner for about £5, vaguely thinking that I ought to be spending a bit more on something from Bobbi Brown.

But this is amazing! Not only does it stay on all day, (even after an absolutely ginormous coughing fit), you twist it up rather than sharpen it with a pencil sharpener, as I find myself doing about once a week. Although… packaging… landfill…

How about you? What make-up discoveries have you made recently?

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Not a recent find but Max Factor 2000 calorie black mascara is THE ONE. Don’t get the waterproof stuff or the ‘masterpiece’ (I think it’s called) variety- just the basic one. And then live happily ever after.

I’ve just discovered Benefit’s They’re Real mascara. Startling results from a brilliant brush. Doesn’t budge all day but comes off easily with the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser thingy.
And new go to lipstick is Chanel Coco Shine in no.62 Monte Carlo. I’m olive skinned but I’ve also given it to lots of paler friends. I usually look like Tootsie in lipstick but this one is very pretty and not scary on me.

Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow – it’s a primer but on a good day can give a fresh faced look without the need for any other coverage – I’m well into middle age and this is so liberating I’ve stockpiled it.

Also not a product but eyebrow microblading – having plucked most of my eyebrows away in misguided teenage attempts to look sophisticated am about to have this done. Everyone raves about it and so have high hopes.

I’m not sure where you are, but my girlfriend does microblading in Melbourne, Australia, if you’re over that way, and she does lots of celebrities within Australia. I’ve seen some absolute horror stories though, so do your research first, and be prepared to pay big money for good work.

I dont like lots of make up as obviously Im naturally stunning like that DM article lady but I have discovered this product that I wear all the time and its like magic. Its Korean Skin Therapy (I think made in Korea) and is called erborian Korean Skin Therapy CC Creme. Basically its amazing its white and you put it all over your face as a foundation and it changes to your skin colour. So you avoid those awful foundation lines. Im in a rush so cant find the link but I bought it on amazon and from memory its about £20. I cant recommend it enough. I do need some new eye shadow if anyone has found any good colours etc that would be FAB X

BOURJOIS! In a fit of post-Christmas mardiness and a feeling of extreme ugliness I went into Superdrug for a splurge on slap and bought a whole lot of things from Bourjois, who had – and still have – a 3-for-2 offer, making it almost guilt-free! Someone once told me they were made by the same company that makes Chanel cosmetics, though I have no idea whether that’s true or not.
The anti-shadow concealer is great, I thought for my pale English complexion the ‘nudes’ eyeshadow palette had some pretty good colours, though beware the sparkly one in the middle – it’s glitter-tastic and you will be spangly for days. Loved the propelling-pencil lipsticks; quite sheer but good colours, blusher and powder nice but not special, but the brow highlighter is the star performer here. I bought the double brow pencil-plus-highlighter, but the pencil is the wrong colour and I don’t use it (apparently you should go for a grey-brown, not a warm brown), but the highlighter bit, which you can get separately as well, is extraordinary. It defines the brow in a magical way if used as intended but is really soft and makes a super eyeliner for the inner corners of the eyes as well, making you look alert and well rested. I would never have bought something like that if I’d been buying expensive make-up, which I do miss rather, but these days I wear so little slap on a regular basis that it’s not worth seeing thirty quid’s worth of something drying up on the shelf.
Oh, and top tip – apply concealer to spots with something like a lip brush. Much more efficient than poking your finger at them.

Pixi glow primer. For the first time ever at (boring and serious) workplace two people emailed me after meetings asking to know what I’d done to my face… In a good way. Covers up young children induced tiredness xx

No major recommendations here but while we’re on the make up topic I tried your triangle of light trick the other day and got bloody ID’d when buying a cheap bottle of Pinot Grigio! Despite legally being able to drink for nearly 20 years. Was the woman just trying to ruin my night or did I look so youthful and rested she just couldn’t tell? Surely the latter. Many thanks xx

Ooh. OOH. I have one! I’m very very fussy about my mascara, as I have a) contact lens irritation issues and b) glowering, deep-set eyes. The eyes have recently been made worse by a tiny Botox mishap, which left me looking even more Neanderthal of brow. So mascara has to be gentle, not smudgy, and have a nicely shaped wand that doesn’t get all over my cavernous eye-holes. I’ve been devoted to Lancôme Hypnose for years, but I recently got a sample of Marc Jacobs mascara and it is top fucking notch. No fibres, not crispy, just soft and waxy and massively lash-lengthening without being smudgy. I am converted.

Leona, I have lenses (still gas perms, would you believe; even more mascara-loathing) and smudging lashes as well and I find Clinique Lash Power Long Wear doesn’t smudge or flake or do huge clumpy lashes … just in case you need a backup! I’m off to investigate the Marc Jacobs now.

I have the Bobbi Brown lipstick tint thing above which is lovely and reacts to your own lip colour and will be great in the summer months. I splurged out on a Dior eyelash primer which is white and you apply before your mascara. It has really helped my eyelashes look longer and fuller.
Speaking of Superdrug, I was recommended their own brand serum for the princely sum of £2.56 and it’s really hydrating.

Also whenever I’m in TK MAXX I always end up buying some hylauronic acid cream thing for eyes, or skin, really cheaply, from Japan or Korea or New Zealand. Great products and far cheaper than elsewhere.

Agree with QuarterFrench. The Superdrug serum is brilliant. I’m quite old and have spent a fortune on Sisley, Chanel and Dior skin stuff over the years but this serum is TRANSFORMING. It sells out quickly so buy in bulk if you find it in stock.

Had to recently rush back to Australia for sad reasons, and felt like I needed some powerful lippy to give me a bit of a lift. Everything in Australia is eye wateringly expensive, so I hit the Rimmel section at the chemist and came away with one of their new seriously red matte lipsticks in 120 “Call the Shots”. It was a great price and doesn’t shift for hours and hours. I flipping love it, and it helped me feel strong through a fairly crappy day. Rimmel lipsticks always seem to do the job for significantly less than the posh brands.

Agree totally about 2000 calorie mascara. It’s often on a 3 for 2 offer or buy one get one half price so tend to stockpile it. The black/brown is very good (especially on an older fair skinned lady like me).

I love Rimmel’s ‘Scandaleyes” precision micro eyeliner. It’s a pen which absolutely does not smudge and has a really fine point so you can do a beautiful flick. It comes off easily with make-up remover, the only problem is getting it perfect in the first place! Their gel eyeliner is also amazing, but tends to dry out over time.

Also a big fan of Maybelline’s 24hr colour tattoo eyeshadows, which give a lovely shimmer to your eyelids, and last at least 14hrs (can’t vouch for the full 24!)

Not make up technically but Bobbi brown 50 spf face cream has to be a must of summer. I love ‘Queen tiffany’ from mineral make up as an eyeshadow – universally flattering. I also use the Bobbi brown twist up eyeliners, but they do smudge so will give the Max factor one a shot. The gel pots are brilliant but go hard in weeks making them an expensive waste of time!

On a related topic….. any recommendations for a really good eye make up remover? I have the opposite problem here as my eyeliner is so long lasting I put it on in a morning and still can’t get the b*****d stuff off for bed…..